We went to the library looking for New Year’s picture books for kids and found this is definitely an unfilled niche. We did discover, however, Happy New Year Everywhere!, by Arlene Erlbach. The book details New Year’s traditions throughout the world, including New Years celebrated at other times of the year, like Chinese New Year and Rosh Hashana. Each tradition has an accompanying craft or recipe. The book seems to be out of print, so you’ll have to check around for the best used price or, better yet, borrow a copy from your library.

From the book, we found out that in Chile, people traditionally wear gold jewelry to attract prosperity for the new year. So, we made these fun “gold bracelets” from dried pasta.

Shanté Keys and the New Year’s Peas, by Gail Piernas-Davenport: When grandma forgets the traditional black-eyed peas, Shante visits her neighbors in search of the New Year’s good luck dish. Along the way, she finds out about the varied ethnic traditions for the day. This is a sweet and celebratory story.

Educational Connections:

History and Culture: Discover the different New Year’s traditions of your friends, neighbors, and family. What do many of these traditions have in common? Why is the New Year a time when many people wish for good luck and wealth and make promises or resolutions to live better.

Mathematics: Look at a calendar. How many days are in a year? Why? How many months are there in a Western calendar? Some cultures use a lunar calendar. How does that differ from our calendar? Why does New Year’s in some other cultures and religions fall on different days on the Western calendar?

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About the Author

Candace Lindemann is a published children’s writer and educational consultant. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Working with school districts around the country and some of the most well-known companies in the education industry, Candace creates custom strategies, textbooks, and lesson plans. Her articles have appeared in print and online.

While Candace’s degrees prepared her for a career in education, she’s found that the best preparation for parenting is on the job training.